General Motors East Africa (GMEA) has been certified as an Occupation Health and Safety Assessment Series (OHSAS 18001:2007) compliant organisation.

The automotive manufacturer becomes one of the few organisations in Kenya to be awarded all the three certifications, which include Quality, Environment and Occupational Health and Safety.

GMEA managing director Rita Kavashe noted that the processes and standards that are learned and implemented during the OHSAS 18001:2007 evaluation process allow the firm to develop more sustainable health and safety management systems.

“We are especially proud of this designation because the certification of compliance recognizes that the policies, practices and procedures ensure continuous health and safety process at our plant. Occupational health and safety is at the heart of all our process, and we believe that the lessons learned throughout the certification process will be highly beneficial to our entire organization,” said Kavashe.

The OHSAS 18001:2007 is an international standard that is developed by the OHSAS project Group, an association that includes government agencies, certification bodies, national standards, industry associations and consultants.
OHSAS 18001 has been developed to be compatible with ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 management systems standards, in order to facilitate the integration.

It provides a framework for an organization to identify and control its health and safety risks, reduce the potential for accidents, comply with legislation and improve operational performance.

Kavashe said the OHSAS 18001 certification will strengthen the existing health and safety process in the plant and act as a building block to compliance with corporate and legal requirements of health and safety.